Balenciaga collaborated with the Royal Opera House on a play about Kurt Cobain

Coincidence or perfect timing? The 1990s, with the drastic social change they brought with them, created a need for an icon as problematic as the generation he embodied. The task fell on Nirvana, but even more so to Kurt Cobain, thanks to a tormented life and a death by suicide as tragic as it was mysterious. The Enfant Prodige of grunge became a worldwide phenomenon, first generational and then eternal: people started dressing like him, playing like him, wanting to be him, laying the foundations for an infinite number of film adaptations celebrating him, from Kurt Cobain: About a Son, the 2006 documentary by A.J. Schnack to Nick Broomfield's 1998 Kurt & Courtney, to Gus Van Sant's film Last Days in 2005. It is precisely this last homage, which chronicles the last days of the singer, played by Michael Pitt and isolated in his Seattle mansion, that is the inspiration for the new production of the same name at the Royal Opera House in London, composed by Oliver Leith, directed by Matt Copson and Anna Morrissey, libretto by Copson and 12-piece ensemble directed by Jack Sheen with guest artists GBSR Duo. A new aspect emerged, fundamental to the portrayal of a character whose looks are still replicated today by a host of youngsters in worn-out Chuck Taylors, rounded white glasses and furry jumpers: how would Kurt Cobain dress today? The answer is only one, Balenciaga.

Although Copson had worked with Balenciaga on an earlier project, the connection came about mainly because of the perfect match between the brand and the show's supporting characters. Artistic director Demna teamed up with designer Patrick Welde and Copson on the first collaboration between a brand and London's Royal Opera House: eight costumes for eight ensemble cast members in Balenciaga's distinctive silhouettes, including oversized and unstructured denim garments, funereal shades and silver hardware, a more maximalist, loud and modern grunge than we remembered. «Balenciaga was the obvious solution: Demna's work involves questioning and distorting archetypes, the aesthetics of alternativeism and the legacy of the 90s in a disruptive and poetic way» Copson said for WWD.

The striped shirts and accessories that defined Cobain's 90s style - the sunglasses, mohair cardigans, leopard prints and striped tops - become more eccentric with Copson and Welde. Kurt's look includes a pink logo baseball cap, a checked shirt with hood and, most importantly, a flashy Grinch acid green mohair coat. Working with stylist Patrick Welde, Copson dug deep into Balenciaga's back catalogues to dress each character, but often found that the perfect look was more at hand than they expected. «We scoured the archives, but interestingly, the best things usually came from the most recent collections - Copson tells Vogue - It ended up working really well, because I didn't want it to be a costume, I wanted it to be something that implied the present as well.»